Kamloops + other residential schools, as reported to Native people in Chinook (Part 15: brass band and Bengal fire; summer vacation)
Still early in the residential school era for British Columbia, we find this English-language report.
(A link to all instalments in this mini-series.)
Music and ceremony (image credit: Spokesman-Review)
Here we have colorful participation by the school band, and a summer vacation, depicted to us in “Kamloops Wawa” August 1898, #167, page [115]:
In the afternoon the Bishop re-
turned to the reserve and offici-
ated at the procession of the
Blessed Sacrament, which would
appear very modest to people ac-
customed to pompous ceremon-
ies elsewhere. Yet it was a great
improvement on the one of last
year, and was still enhanced by
the brass band of the Industrial
School. Shortly after the pro-
cession the candidates for Con-
firmation were called to the
church, where the whole assem-
bly followed them to assist at the
ceremony: After that ceremony
the Bishop took leave from the
Indians. and went across the
river to the father’s residence
near the Church of the Sacred
Heart. In the evening there was
a torchlight procession at the In-
dian reserve, when the statues of
the Sacred Heart, the Blessed
Virgin. St. Joseph and St. An-
thony of Padua were carried in
triumph amid the recitation of
the Rosary and the singing of
hymns, the brass band of the In-
dustrial School playing its selec-
tions at the light of Bengal fire
torches. The procession return-
ed to the church about 10 p.m.
On Monday morning Holy Mass
was celebrated as usual, after
which the Indians separated
and returned to their different
quarters.
Page 116:
On July 11th the child-
ren of the Kamloops Industrial
School were allowed a fortnight
vacation, and the greatest num-
ber of them went to their homes
at the Shushwap, Nicola, the
North Thompson, and Dead-
man’s Creek. A few, whose
families were too far away or
could not be found at home, re-
mained at the school house and
enjoyed the time in recreations
and picnics.
